His Return
by girlovesmoosey
Summary: After his defeat, Bowser returns to the Mushroom Kingdom to take back what was his. Sequel to Her Guardian.
1. Chapter 1

"Come on, we have to go!"

"I'm coming!"

"You'd better be wearing the dress, Mara."

"Dad!" she groaned, putting on her tattered white tennis shoes. She tied her hair into a messy braid and exited her room.

"This is a very important meeting. You can't wear overalls," Luigi sighed, fixing his green overcoat. "I know they're comfortable, but you're a princess for crying out loud."

"But Dad! I can wear whatever I want."

"Not until you're queen, you can't," he poked her nose. "You made a commitment when you took the throne."

"I was eight. I'm almost seventeen, and I should be able to make my own choices," she said sternly, folding her arms. Luigi handed her the white dress that was almost identical to the one her mother used to wear.

"Come on. We'll stop and get breakfast on the way back."

She gasped and smiled.

"Ice cream?"

"You know it."

She grabbed the dress and rushed to her room. It wasn't easy zipping up the back or tying the laces, but she was well-motivated now.

She placed the golden crown upon her head and put her gloves on, tugging her dress downward to hide that she was still wearing her favorite shoes.

They headed out the door, two toads following with spears. They walked to a large building no farther than a mile away. Such distance still would have been impossible with high heels.

"Ah, Princess Mara. King Luigi. You've made it. I'm Leo P. McToadston, your financial adviser."

He was a toad with a brown mustache and blue spots on his cap. The room had a snack machine, a big table, and many chairs around it.

"Please, have a seat," he said. Mara headed toward the snack machine, but Luigi pulled her away. They both sat down, and a few other toads sat with them. "Oh, how lovely you look today, Princess."

"I have a boyfriend," she placed a stick of gum in her mouth, and Luigi smacked her arm.

"Yes, um, congratulations," he folded his hands. "Today, I'd like to start by discussing the imports that the kingdom has been receiving from Sarasaland, and..."

Mara zoned out far before he could make his point, though Luigi stayed attentive. She twiddled her thumbs nervously and tapped her foot. She hadn't slept all night. Another nightmare had kept her up, though Luigi was oblivious to this problem she'd been having. She always had nightmares after their encounter with Bowser, but he assumed she had grown out of it.

"Princess Mara, are you listening? Answer my question, if you would be so kind."

"Hm...what? I-I'm sorry, I...I was listening, but could you repeat it? I just want to make sure YOU know the question, Sir."

He sighed, irritated.

"I said, what are your plans to improve the Mushroom Kingdom's economy?"

"Oh, um, that...," she looked around. "Make everything free. I don't care."

"Mara!" Luigi smacked the back of her head, making her crown fall to the floor. "I-I'm sorry, Sir. She's just going through that phase, I guess."

"If you would like suggestions," he cleared his throat. "I know of a great military school that would gladly take her."

"Oh, no, that's quite alright," Luigi insisted. "She's a good kid, she just...," he looked at her, glaring. "...needs a good talking to."

"If we may continue...," he sighed. Mara picked her crown from the floor and put it back on. "Now, I'm aware that the kingdom's past has caused ties between the surrounding territories, and might I suggest..."

She struggled to keep her eyes open, but every so often, she would glance out the window of their second-story room. The height terrified her, honestly, and it was a fear she had carried for as long as she could remember. Actually, she had a lot of fears.

"Ma'am, are you listening?" he asked, clenching his teeth. "Managing your kingdom's finances is a very important part of being a princess."

"Well, maybe I don't want to be a princess!"

"Excuse me, Madame, but you have no choice! The royal blood runs through your veins!"

She stood up.

"Well, as princess...I command myself to not be princess!"

"That's not how it works..."

"Could you excuse us for a moment," Luigi chuckled nervously, grabbing her by the ear and pulling her out of the room. Leo and the others waited patiently, but it was hard to ignore the bickering and the loud smack they could hear from beyond the doors. They reentered and sat back down. Mara's left cheek was bright red and Luigi sweated nervously. "I'm sorry, you were saying?"

"I've just about had it with this kingdom!" he stood up. "I have been a financial adviser for thirty three years and never in my field of work have I met a dictator as repulsive and poorly behaved as her."

"Actually, I'm more in charge than she is, so..."

"No matter. I will no longer associate with the Mushroom Kingdom. Now, begone!"

* * *

"It wasn't THAT bad," she rolled her eyes, licking her cookies and cream ice cream cone. It was her favorite flavor for almost as long as she could remember.

"Mara, I don't know what I'm going to do with you. That's the third adviser that's told us off this year!" Luigi held his head, pacing through the throne room. "You know, I was sure that repairing this old castle and taking the kingdom into our own hands would be a good idea. I wish Mario was here. He'd know what to do. He also would have sat down and shut up while people were talking."

"All you ever talk about is Mario. Why can't I behave like Mario? Why can't I cook like Mario? Why can't I be Mario? I'm not him! I will never be him!"

"Don't you think I know that?" He groaned. "I told him not to have kids."

"Excuse me?" she folded her arms. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I didn't mean it that way."

She stood up and took her crown off. "I'm gonna go hang out with the guys."

"Oh, no you're not! You're not going anywhere after today! You're grounded, young lady. And you're going to spend today writing a letter to everyone who attended that meeting apologizing for your behavior. Do you understand?"

"You can't tell me what to do!"

"You're damn right I can!"

"No you can't! You're not even my dad!"

He gasped, but before he could say all seven words he was about to say, she ran into her room and slammed the door.

"Mara, don't you dare do this! You're not three anymore!" he banged on her door, but she didn't respond.

She took off the dress she hated with all her heart and put her overalls and tennis shoes on. She put on her brown coat, which was now only slightly oversized, and tied her hair into a bun. Mara opened the window, climbing out, as her room was only on the first floor.

She walked about three blocks over and approached a house, knocking on the door. A tall boy with brown hair and brown eyes answered. He wore a baggy t-shirt and jeans with gray sneakers.

"Hey," she sighed.

"Your dad again?"

"Yup."

"Come on in," he smiled, kissing her on the cheek. She took his hand and came inside. "No one's home today, so I thought maybe we could watch a movie and...well, you know."

"Speaking of 'well, you know'-ing...," she sat down beside him on the couch. "You know what, Zack, never mind. It's not important."

"Just tell me. I was raised by koopas, so don't think I'm going to judge you."

"It's...nothing."

"Alright then," he shrugged. "So how's about that movie."

"Okay," she agreed with a nod. He went over to the TV and put a movie in. It was PG-13 rated, as he recently learned about her hatred of scary movies. He set out a blanket and they sat there together.

"You know what I like about this movie? The plot. See, because the robots don't really know that the aliens are on their side and-"

"E-excuse me for a moment!" She ran upstairs to the bathroom and closed the door.

"Are you alright in there?" Zack asked upon knocking.

"It's just...," she opened the door with a sigh after a few moments. "I don't think my ice cream agreed with me."

"Oh, that's all?" he smiled, hugging her. "Hon, I'll get you some water."

"Thank y-"

She stopped talking as someone knocked on the door downstairs.

"Who could that be?" he wondered.

"Probably my dad," she mumbled as he went downstairs and opened the door.

_Speak of the devil._

"Oh, Hey, Mister Mara's dad."

"I know she's here."

She came to the door. "What do you want?"

"Mara, we're going home and you are going to march right up to your room- no the spare room with no windows so you can't pull that crap again. And I told you I don't want you seeing this guy. He's eighteen, and you're too young."

"Ugh, not this again," she groaned. "Dad, leave me alone."

"Look, we can discuss this another time, but-"

"But nothing! You're lucky I don't zap your head off."

"Mara, you haven't used magic since you were little. You wouldn't know how."

"You know what, I'm done!" she folded her arms. "I'm not coming back home! I refuse to! I'm not fulfilling any more royal duties."

"You don't know what you're saying. What _do _you know? You're just young and stupid. I was like that before."

"I want to stay here because Zack actually loves me! He takes care of me! He listens to me! And what do you do? You're always telling me what's wrong with me! Not once in the past eight years have I heard you say 'good job, Mara!' or 'I'm proud of you, Mara'."

"Maybe it's because you haven't done anything worth making me proud in eight years."

"Oh, that is it!" she cried. "You know what, I'm done with you! Go to hell!"

"Mara, when we get home, you're in for-"

"What? What are you going to do? You want to hit me? Do it then!"

"Look, we're leaving now, and you're not seeing this a-hole anymore, got it?"

"Well, I'm carrying this a-hole's child, so it's only fair that I can see him when I please!"

Luigi and Zack both stepped back in shock.

"THIS is what wasn't important?" Zack asked. He smiled and hugged her. "Oh, I'm so happy."

"M-Mara...this isn't...true, is it?" Luigi became fearful. "You don't know anything about raising children."

"I know more about it than you do! All you know how to do is make me feel bad!"

"But...," Luigi looked around nervously. "You ARE joking, right?"

"No, Dad. I'm not. Now please...just let me calm down."

Without a word, he left the house and Zack closed the door.

"A father...I'm going to be a father! H-hey, what's wrong?"

She looked down and sighed.

"He's right. I don't know the first thing about children. Look, I don't hate my dad...we've just been arguing so much lately, and I don't know what to do."

"It's okay. I'll take care of him or her. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure we can have a happy little family. You won't have to worry about your dad. He won't be in the picture."

"But...that's what I'm afraid of," she began to tear up. "I can't live without my dad. He's everything to me...and I treat him like crap. I...I don't mean to. And I'm only six weeks...it's going to be a living hell. But I'm going to go back. Maybe we can rekindle things."

"Well, you're not a bad person. I think he's overreacting."

"Zack, I'm just the kind of person that would get pregnant at sixteen. I'm such a stereotypical teenage girl, it hurts. I'm not out killing people, and I've only drank like, once, so I mean, he can at least cut me some slack."

"Well, being a princess is stressful. And I know you hate it. I suggest you go talk it out, and if things don't work out, my door's always open. My mom loves you, so come here any time."

"Thanks," she hugged him tightly and walked toward the door. "I love you."

"Love you too, Mar," he grinned as she left.

She looked down as she stood before her big pink castle. She hated pink, but it was her mom's castle.

"I hope he's not too mad..."


	2. Chapter 2

"Dad," she sat down at the table beside him as he sipped a can of beer. He may have been a king, but he wasn't very classy. "Look, I'm sorry...about everything. About the meeting. About eating your leftover ravioli. About getting pregnant. I'm sorry."

"Mara, don't worry about it. I know you try."

"I am worried about it. I...I can't take care of a baby."

"That's why you won't be."

"What?"

"Tomorrow, we're going to the clinic, and you won't have to worry about it anymore."

"You don't mean...no, you don't understand. I'm keeping it."

"No...you're not. Look, you're sixteen and you know you can't carry the emotional weight of a baby. I'm very sorry, but I only want what's best for you."

"Then you need to understand that I'm keeping it! I don't care what you or anyone else says! If anyone doesn't know about raising a child, it's you! I wish Jason had raised me!"

"Mara, you knew him for three days."

"He did more for me in three days than you did in seventeen years!" she sighed and stood up.

"By the way, you got something in the mail," he handed her a letter. She took it and stormed into her room. She banged her head on the wall.

"Why can't I just...get what I want?" she huffed. She sat on her bed and opened the letter.

_**I'm coming back for you. **_Was all it read.

__"What?" she turned the letter over and looked to see if anything else was written. With a chuckle, she crumpled it up and threw it away. "Probably my ex."

"Mara?" Luigi knocked on the door. "Unlock this door!"

With a sigh, she stood up and did as told.

"What?"

"Look, about what I said...you can keep the child. All I ask is that you educate yourself. I don't mean to be harsh. I'm just scared of what you might turn into one day. Also, I'm not ready to be a grandfather."

"Well...thank you," she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "I'm glad you're hopeful about my future."

"Mara, you called my ex girlfriend a stupid bitch-pig last week. If you keep this up, you're not going to be successful."

"Well, she is. If Daisy doesn't want Sarasaland to supply our cherry soda and milk chocolate imports, then I don't like her."

"That's not my point."

"You know, I'm sorry if I'm a disappointment to you. Because I know I am. I'm a disappointment to our family and to my mom and dad. And I've come to accept that."

"That's not true," he hugged her tightly. He was still quite taller than her. "Mara, when you were eight years old, you saved my life. I owe you so much."

"I also killed that fat monster thing."

"I know you did, sweetie."

"But sometimes...I feel like he's watching me...," she looked around.

"No, that's not possible. You killed him. He fell and never got back up. It's been almost nine years, and the world is a peaceful place again. Thanks to you."

"Aw, shucks," she giggled.

"And...about earlier," he looked her in the eyes. "I...I didn't mean that. I'm very proud of you."

"I love you, Dad," she hugged him. "I'm sorry about fighting. I'll be good, okay?"

"Alright, Kiddo," He put his bright green hat on her head. "I'm making pizza and fries if you want any."

"We have chefs, Dad."

"But they don't make it right," he groaned, leaving the room. She smiled, heading back into her bedroom.

"He's gonna be so hungover," she giggled, taking her violin from beside her bed and tuning it.

But she swore she could hear something outside.

She placed the instrument down and climbed over to her window.

"Hello?" she opened her window and whispered. "Charlie, if you're trying to prank me again..."

A paper airplane flew through her window and hit her on the head.

"Hey! Ow!" she opened the wrinkled paper, and within it was a note. "Huh?"

**8PM 22475 Mushwood Ave. Don't be late.**

She looked out the window again.

"Hello?" she called out again. "Shay? Is that you? If it's you, I'm gonna shove this paper airplane up your-"

"Who are you talking to?" Luigi entered the room with a slice of pizza in his hand.

"N-no one, Dad." she grinned, putting the paper behind her back. "I'm just screaming at owls again."

"Well keep it down. And I know we have maids, but put your damn dishes away, alright?"

"Yeah, alright," she rolled her eyes as he left the room. She looked at the paper again and at her wall clock. It was 7:45.

"Dad, I'm going out for a walk," she called, throwing on her brown coat.

"Alright."

Leaving the castle, she walked along the sidewalk, looking around. She felt kind of odd, but maybe it was just her hormones.

When she arrived, she realized that the destination was an empty lot. It was a huge area of grass.

"Am I...in the right place?" she crept through the darkness, hardly able to see anything. "Is anyone here? Alright, Shay, it's not funny anymore."

She felt someone grab her, and cover her face with a cloth. She immediately went limp and lost consciousness.

When she opened her eyes, she had a massive headache, and she was in a cell. She definitely had never been in this place before.

"Well, well...," teased a familiar voice. "Look who was gullible enough to fall for my old tricks."

He walked up to the cage and she silently backed away. He was eleven feet tall and had horns and a spiked shell. She couldn't bring herself to speak.

"What's wrong, Mara? Don't remember me? You don't remember trying to kill me?" he grinned evilly. "Well, here I am. Oh, don't worry. I wouldn't dream of hurting you. No, I thought maybe we could become...say, good friends."

She just stared at him and blinked.

"It's like I'm talking to a wall here," he groaned. "Mara, hello?"

Instead of responding, she screamed as loud as she could. She shook the bars of the cell as if she could break them- and she probably could.

"HELP! OH GOD SOMEONE HELP ME!"

"Hey, hey, calm down! I wouldn't want you causing an explosion or something," he said. "Look, I think you can help me. And in return, I'll give you whatever you please."

"I don't want anything you have to offer, Bowser!" she snapped.

"Not even...say, I could even reunite you with an old friend."

"Who?"

"You know who."

"That...that's not possible. You had him executed. He's not part of this parade of people who miraculously survived after supposedly being dead, right?"

"Heh, well, right before he was to be killed, I may or may not have shown him some sympathy. I was sure it would come in handy."

"Wait, you're not joking?"

"Only a handful of minions stayed faithful to me after...you took over. He, well, he was kind of forced to."

"I don't believe you."

"You won't know unless you hear me out."

"Okay, I'm listening."

"Alright," Bowser sighed. "I was thinking I could take the northern region of the Mushroom Kingdom back into my possession. You can rule beside me if you like."

"I have a boyfriend. We're super serious, you know."

"How serious?"

"I'm pregnant."

"Yeesh," he stepped back a bit. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm not some kind of creep. I'm creepy, but not _A_ creep. Anyway, I thought...maybe, you know, you could be independent for once. You could do whatever you want, make your own decisions, you name it. All I ask is that you comply. Deal?"

She sighed.

"I'm sorry. I can't," she said. "And by I can't, I mean I can't possibly pass up an offer like that! Like, are you serious right now? You're joking, huh? You're going to kill me, huh?"

"No, I'm not going to hurt you. We've established that. Now...we have a deal, don't we?"

"Jason's...really alive? And you didn't let him visit me?"

"Ahem?" he reached for her hand. She shook it. "We'll work out the details later. A pleasure doing business with you, Princess."

"Now let me out."

"Alright, fine," he said, unlocking the cage. She realized that she was in a downsized version of his castle. There was one huge room, and then a couple of doors attached. It was fit for a king that no longer ruled anything. He handed her a contract and a pen. "Here, just sign it. No need to read. It only says you'll let me rule by your side. I won't be like a cliche villain and use it against you, I promise."

"Alright," she signed it and handed it back to him. "Now where is he?"

"Hold your horses. We'll get to that. Baby steps," he said. He whistled loudly and Kamek came to his side. "Kamek, fetch me the coolest dress you can find."

"But Sir, we don't have-"

"Go!"

He hurriedly left the room.

"I don't like dresses," Mara said, crossing her arms. "And I don't like you."

"Would you like some tea?"

"You chloroformed me. I don't trust anything from you."

"Fair enough," he huffed. "Oh, right, your guy," he whistled again, but in another tune. This time, Jason came out. Mara gasped. "I'll leave you two alone."

Bowser left the room and the two exchanged looks.

"M-Mara?" she was now only a few inches shorter than him. "You're...different."

"You mean older?" she giggled, hugging him tightly. "It's really you?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I've been working for Bowser all this time. He built this little castle in the middle of nowhere and he's just lived here. A-are you crying?"

"It's just...I was so sure you were dead...," she sniffled. "Ew, you're like twenty-five now, huh?"

"Yup. Time sure does fly."

"No. No it doesn't. I haven't seen you since forever-ago!"

"Well, now I'm here. So I hear Bowser wants you to rule by his side and take back part of the kingdom."

"Yeah."

"I'm glad you agreed. He deserves it."

"What? That's a little...unlike you to say."

"Well, what can I say? I've taken a liking to working for the guy."

"Really, now?" she shifted her eyes, but shrugged it off. "I'm just glad you're back. We have a lot of catching up to do."

"Heh, so how are you these days?"

"Expecting."

"What? From who?"

"My boyfriend of two years. We're super serious soul mates."

"Oh...um, alright. How's...," he looked down at his arm. "Luigi?"

"My dad? Oh, we've been arguing a bit lately, but nothing too bad. I just hope he doesn't hate me for being out so long."

"I'm sure he'll forgive you. You were taken against your will."

Bowser reentered the room.

"Now, I don't want you telling your father about our deal. It can be our little secret, okay?"

"Okay," she nodded.

"We'll start construction of the new castle tomorrow, okay? Meet me back here, same time. Jason, escort her home."

"Can do," he agreed. She took his hand and they exited. "So you're...seventeen now?"

"Yeah," she responded. "Hey, recognize this coat I'm wearing?"

"Um...," he looked around nervously.

"You gave it to me, silly!"

"Oh yeah, I remember!" he smiled. "O-of course I remember..."

They reached the Mushroom Kingdom within minutes and the castle wasn't very far out. Once they reached it, Mara gave him a hug.

"Thanks for taking me home," she smiled, kissing him on the cheek. "See, the kiss...it's a princess thing. Okay, goodbye."

She walked inside and Luigi was asleep on the couch with a few beer cans beside him. She'd seen worse. Once, he'd spent all night drunkenly crying to her about his childhood pet chain chomp that got run over on Rainbow Road. She went into her room and laid down with an exhausted sigh.

_Our little secret..._

**Ask me why the number 22475 is important. Go ahead.**


	3. Chapter 3

"You know, I think I'm starting to like this dress, Bowser," she twirled around in the dark crimson and black dress he had given her. It had a big amethyst in the middle. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," he grinned. "Hey, you've always wanted a tattoo, right? Let me guess, your dad won't let you?"

"H-how did you know?"

"I've raised quite a few teenagers," he replied. "We can have that arranged. I feel extra nice today."

"No way! What's the catch? You're not going to kidnap my dad again, are you?"

"No, of course not. I'm over that. I told you, I'm good now. I guess I just needed a friend like you," he poked her nose and turned around. "A gullible friend...," he whistled and a paratroopa came to his aid, carrying something similar to a toolbox. "It's time. Go give the kid what she wants."

"Yes, Sir!" he saluted and came over to her. She sat down and he got everything ready.

"Okay," she said. "So I want the name Zack on my ankle, but in black letters. That's Z-A-C-K. That's my boyfriend. We're seriously in love."

"S-sure," he said. He slapped a branding stick on her leg, and she screamed.

"Dude! What are you doing? That's not how tattoos work! Why are you burning me?"

"Forgive me, Ma'am," he stood up and she looked at the marking. It read "KP".

"You spelled it wrong!" she called as he left the room. Bowser reentered.

"Is there a problem?"

"Yeah. What's your deal? You could have told me you were going to burn my skin."

"Well, then you would have freaked out, huh?" he laughed.

"What does KP stand for?"

"That's not important. What is important is that you're finally becoming a woman and you disobeyed your father's wishes. It feels good, doesn't it?"

"To be honest...no. And I'm starting to change my mind. You don't deserve half of the kingdom after what you did."

"Well, you already signed half of the kingdom over to me," he said, calling for two minions that came over to him. "Tell the others to get to work on my new castle."

"Yes, Sir!"

"Hey, where's Jason?"

"He's...uh, sick today," Bowser shrugged. "There's some sort of virus going around."

"Don't koopas have really good immune systems?"

"Nope! N-now, is there anything else you need? Oh, and about your parents sixteen years ago...I'm really sorry about that. I hope we don't have something weird between us because of it."

"Pfft, I didn't know 'em," she sighed. "I'm just really grateful that you're doing all this for me. Except the tattoo thing. I'm mad about that."

"No hard feelings, right?" he ruffled her hair. "You know, I've been thinking, what if you signed over 75% of the kingdom to me? You don't really need that much space, do you? What are you gonna do with it?"

"No, I gave you half. That's it," she huffed.

"I can buy you an island."

"I'm a princess. I can buy my own island."

"What about double chocolate cheesecake?"

"Oh, I'm not allowed to have that many sweets. My dad wants me to fit into my dress for special occasions."

"He's not here, is he?" Bowser smiled. "With me, anything you want, consider it yours. If you want to go home, that's fine. But Luigi's probably going to be mad once he sees your tattoo. And once he knows you've had some of the best cake in the world."

"So the chocolate...it's the real deal? No artificial stuff?"

"Of course, Princess. Only the best. Tony, get the princess some cake!" he called out. A goomba came out with a sizable slice of cheesecake and she took it.

"Don't eat it," the goomba whispered, so that only she could hear.

"Thanks, Tony," Bowser grinned as Tony walked away. "Well, try it."

"I...uh...I changed my mind. I'm not hungry."

"Oh, don't be rude. Come on, my chefs spent hours making that!"

"Alright, alright," she took a bite and smiled. It didn't take long fir her to finish it. "Hey, this is pretty good!"

"Right? There's more in the kitchen, so help yourself. Eat as much as your little heart desires. And, uh, drink lots of water with it. Sugar, you know."

"Hey, my dad's probably pissed. I need to get home," she said, but he grabbed her arm.

"Hold on, now," he smiled. "He doesn't matter anymore. We're ruling this kingdom together, right?"

"Yeah," she looked down. "But I can't just forget about my dad. And what about my boyfriend?"

"You'll see them in time."

"Look, you're getting kind of weird, so I'll be on my way."

"WAIT!" he pulled her arm. "Don't say a thing, alright? They're not going to respect your choices, so I mean, don't even tell them about this whole thing."

"Fair enough," she changed out of her new dress, left the small castle, and was on her way. She was feeling a little nauseous. Probably just pregnancy stuff.

"Where have you been?" Luigi snapped, tapping his foot in front of the castle doors as she walked in. He was holding coffee in his favorite green mug. "It's almost midnight."

"I was out with Zack," she fibbed. "We were just playing video games."

"Oh, were you? Because I called Zack's house, and his parents said he was out bowling with Charlie tonight."

"Don't you know that bowling is teenager talk for video games? Get with the times, Dad."

"Mara."

"It's not important. Look, the important thing is I'm home and completely sober."

"You better be. Because if I hear you're out doing drugs or something-"

"Dad!" she groaned. "I'm going to bed, alright?"

"Alright, fine. But don't stay out that late again. You had me worried sick."

"Okay, Dad."

Mara headed to her room and changed into her pajamas. Before she knew it, she had to run to the bathroom and heave. She was sure she saw blood, but it didn't concern her as much as the pain she was in. She was in there for nearly a half hour before she heard a knock on the door.

"Hey, are you alright?" Luigi asked. She couldn't bring herself to answer. "You'd better be decent, Mara."

He opened the door, and she was pale except for the red spots on her cheeks. He hadn't seen her like this since she had the flu when she was little.

He tied her hair back into a bun for her and felt her head.

"Geez, that's a nasty fever you have there. I don't think that's normal. When Peach was expecting, she was never like this."

"No, I'm sure it's normal," she insisted. Blood dripped from her mouth.

"Well, I'll take you to the doctor tomorrow. For now, just take it easy," he said. He began to leave. "And stay home tomorrow. You've probably caught something."

"Okay," she groaned. She could hardly stand.

"Now go on to bed. Get some rest. The baby needs it."

"Alright," she sighed, tripping over her own legs on her way to her bed. She laid down and was unsure whether to put on a blanket, because she was both burning hot and freezing cold.

"What was in that cake?" she groaned.


	4. Chapter 4

"So you're here, even though your old man insisted you go to the doctor?" Jason scratched his head.

"Yeah. I'm not a fan of doctors," she shrugged. They walked into the ice cream parlor hand in hand. "Two cookies and cream, please!"

"Actually," he said. "I was never a fan of cookies and cream. I'll take vanilla."

"W-what? I only like it because you liked it..."

"Oh, well, I mean, I do then."

"Wait a minute," she looked at him closer. "Weren't your eyes green before? They're brown."

"Well, I uh...it's a hammer brother thing. You wouldn't understand."

"You're not Jason."

"Don't be silly. Of course I am."

"I knew Bowser would do something like this," she sighed, exiting the shop. She fixed her overalls and clenched her hands.

"W-wait!" he followed after her. "Look, I don't want to get fired and-"

She pushed him to the ground, and he reverted back to his real form- an average magikoopa.

"I can't believe him," she said, briskly walking away.

"Isn't it wonderful?" he stood in front of his nearly finished castle. "Oh, it's just like the old one!"

"Bowser, what the hell is your deal. Where's Jason?"

"I thought he was with you."

"The REAL one," she growled, crossing her arms.

"Oh, well, he..."

"Don't play games with me, you prick! You lied to me, and I want the other side of my kingdom back."

"You remember signing it over to me, right?" he pulled out the contract and showed her. "See, that's your signature in blue pen."

"Well, don't expect any more favors from me," she sighed. She looked down. "He really isn't coming back..., is he?"

"Darling," he put his hand on her shoulder. "I thought maybe if you at least believed he was still alive, you'd be happy. I only tried to help. I'm sorry."

"It's...alright," she said hesitantly. "But you don't need to lie to me."

"From now on, no more lies. I don't need to keep things from you."

"That's more like it."

"Let's go inside, shall we?"

"Alright," they went into the castle, which wouldn't have been done so quickly without the aid of magic.

"So," he turned to her. "Your dad doesn't let you drink, does he?"

"I'm pregnant, so it doesn't matter."

"Right...of course you are," he chuckled. "Well, if you change your mind, help yourself. It's in the kitchen."

"Kay," she put her hands on her hips. "So what are you going to do with the kingdom? Half of it, that is?"

"I was thinking of starting by hiring more troops."

"That sounds good," she nodded. "Our kingdom's army consists mainly of toads, so we could use more diversity. It's surprising we haven't been overthrown yet."

"Yeah," he laughed a little. "Oh, and I was thinking of installing a snack machine right here."

"I'm only allowed junk food twice a week."

"Says who? Do you not get it? We work together now. Like...good friends."

"Yeah," she nodded. "Friends."

"Excellent," he grinned.

"I'm going to head home before my dad gets suspicious."

"You know," he said. "We did build a guest room. Maybe you can live here."

"I...," she continued to walk away. "I'll think about it."

* * *

"Mara, come here!"

She got out of bed and stretched, putting on her striped red and white socks. She went to the throne room where Luigi was looking out the window.

"We didn't hire this many koopas, did we?"

"They needed jobs, so...I decided to let them patrol the kingdom."

"Mhm," he said. "Then why are they out there killing the townspeople?"

She went over to the window, and the sight was strangely familiar. Any toad out there was either dead or soon to be dead. The nearby stores appeared to have been broken into, and there was definitely a huge riot on the way.

"My god...," she gasped. "He didn't..."

"Who didn't? What's going on?"

"I need to put a stop to this," she ran back to her room and threw on her coat and shoes. She rushed over to Bowser's new castle. She banged on the door so hard, her hands began to hurt. "Bowser! What is going on? What did you do to my kingdom?"

"Oh, I was expecting you," he smiled, opening the door. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, why are your troops killing my citizens? They did nothing wrong!"

"Gee, Mara, there must have been some kind of misunderstanding. I only told them to patrol the kingdom. I just wanted them to help but," he began to tear up. "But not like this..."

"N-no, don't worry! We can fix it, right?"

"I'm afraid I can't control them. Just look at them," she turned and the destruction was getting worse. Fires were starting and you could hear screams of utter terror from the people.

"When I signed this kingdom over to you three weeks ago, I didn't think you would screw up this bad."

"I'm very sorry," he looked down. "I am just a screw-up...aren't I?"

"No, no," she insisted. "We're...friends, remember. So we can work together and fix this before it gets any worse, okay?"

"Okay, we'll get on it. Why don't you come in? It's cold out."

"Fine," she groaned, wiping her shoes before entering.

"Would you like a snack?" he offered.

"No. But do you have some cranberry juice or something?"

"Tony!" Bowser shouted.

"I'm on it!"

The little goomba left the room, and Mara looked up at Bowser.

"So, about the kingdom...," she sighed. "Look, my castle's only a few miles out. Sooner or later...my dad's going to find out. He's going to hate me. Because he hates you."

"He just doesn't understand," Bowser shrugged.

"I don't want him finding out about this place. So we need to fix the problem before he sends people out to investigate."

Tony came back with the cranberry juice and sighed. Mara began to drink it.

"Thanks," Bowser said, turning back to Mara. "Oh, right, the kingdom..."

"This tastes like cough syrup."

"It...expires tomorrow. It's fine, though," he scratched the back of his head. "I could fix this, but I only control the northern side of the kingdom. Heck, if I was in charge...I could surely solve this little problem on my own, and you wouldn't have to worry."

"I don't trust you. You're not getting any more of my kingdom."

"Alright," he shrugged. "I tried. I guess we'll just have to do...nothing. We're just going to watch as your kingdom's defenses are torn apart and your castle is raided and taken from you. I know it means a lot to you, the place. It was your mother's, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. The one you killed."

"Hey, she took her own life," Bowser snorted. "She thought I was so repulsive, she died to avoid admitting our love. Figures. That's how it's been my whole life. Who needs girls, anyway?"

"Look, Bowser," she sighed. "I need your help...but we need to compromise."

"Yeah. You want your kingdom at peace, and I want more land. So how's 75% sound now?"

"Ugh," she responded. "Okay. You can have it. It's all yours, okay? 75%, and no more."

"Excellent," he smiled. He brought her a new contract and she quickly signed it.

"Now save my kingdom!"

"Do what now?"

"Help my people like you promised."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. According to the contract, I don't have to."

She paused.

"Well...according to me, you do!" she cried.

"Miles, Raphael, take her away," Bowser grinned. Two slightly muscular koopas came and grabbed her.

"Don't touch me!" she tried to punch one, but the other grabbed her arms. She kicked and screamed, but to no avail. She felt something hit her on the back of the head before passing out.

She woke up to a scene that was all to familiar. She was in a large glass box in Bowser's old castle in the middle of nowhere. There was only a bottle of water and a can of peaches beside her.

"Is this a Swiffer commercial?"

"God, you're so gullible," she heard a voice say. "You're so gullible it hurts."

"Bowser..."

He stood over the containment unit and grinned evilly.

"You really thought I meant well, didn't you? Oh, you poor thing. You really trusted the guy who killed your parents. Christ, you're stupid."

"Well, you're not taking my magic if that's what you want."

"Oh, I already have. And by the way, your kingdom is mine. All of it. You should really read things before you sign them."

"Shut up!" she cried. "Let me out!"

She stood up, but immediately fell back over.

"Aww, you're too weak to stand? Yeah, that's how it starts. Then your organs shut down one by one. Your mother probably would have died that way if she hadn't taken her life."

"No...I can't die! I'm going to have a baby. So let me go!"

"That's not possible. I recall making some cheesecake a little while back that should have taken care of that, courtesy of a...secret ingredient. Mara, have you ever heard of the abortion pill? I don't want anymore little Marios running around my kingdom. So I put a stop to it before it became a problem. I hope you're not too bummed out. You're too young to be a mother, anyway."

"W-what?" she gasped.

"Oh, and thanks for permitting the construction of my new castle...but I won't be needing this one anymore," he smiled, exhaling a blast of fire onto the curtains. It was only a matter of seconds before the flames grew, spreading to everything in its path. "Goodbye, you bane of my existence, you"

**If you remember my Swiffer reference from a past story, I love you. Either way, I love you.**


	5. Chapter 5

"Please...wake up..."

She blinked a few times, and everything was blurry. She had a breathing mask over her face and she was nearly too sickly to move. She was definitely in a hospital, and she had an IV machine in her arm.

"Oh thank god," Zack hugged her. "You're so lucky I found you."

"You found me?" her voice was muffled through the mask. "H-how? I was in the middle of nowhere."

"A magikoopa told me. He said he was fired anyway, so he might as well tell me where to find you."

"Oh...," she coughed a few times. "How's my kingdom?"

He closed the curtains before she could look outside and see for herself.

"L-let's not worry about that. Now why weren't you home? You were sick, and you need to think about the baby," Zack huffed. "You know, having that baby...it's really important to me. Finally, I could have something...my own flesh and blood in this world."

"Well...uh," she stammered.

"What's going on? Do you know why all this is happening to the kingdom? You do, don't you?"

"I really screwed up, Zack!"

"What did you do?"

"I...signed my kingdom over to Bowser. It's his now and...it's all my fault."

"WHAT?" he backed away a bit. "Mara, why would you do that? I thought he was dead! This is the stupidest thing you've ever done...besides that time you glued those owls together."

"I hate owls."

"What were you thinking?"

"W-well...," she stuttered. "I thought he had changed, and he said Jason was alive, and I just...I was tired of being pushed around by my dad, I guess. But now...my magic is gone. I wouldn't mind- I don't use them but..."

"Mara!" he exclaimed. "Y-you'll die without it! Oh...don't tell me. Bowser has it, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, he does."

"Don't you understand? That's what he did almost seventeen years ago to your mom! And if you die...no one can save this kingdom. It was your magic that saved us. And now that it's gone," he turned around, but she knew he was crying. "I don't want to lose you...I already lost my home because of you!"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"You didn't wake up for six days, Mara. This place has gone to hell. My house is gone and my family's not even in town. I've been staying at the castle but...Luigi's been giving me crap about knocking you up."

"Oh," she sighed. "I see."

"You know what, Mar, I'm furious right now! H-how could you singlehandedly destroy the kingdom like this? Your kingdom! Hell, if you weren't pregnant, we would be through!"

"Shut up, dude," she groaned. "Everyone makes mistakes."

"Mara, you gave your kingdom...to a monster...that killed your parents, almost killed you, and almost killed Luigi. Where's the logic in this?"

"I know I was stupid," she sighed.

Luigi entered the room, a wreck as usual. He had a coffee in his hand.

"Oh, thank god you're okay," he hugged her. "What happened? What's all this about?"

"It's nothing, Dad. I'll be okay."

"Mara you're not-"

"She signed the kingdom over to Bowser!" Zack blurted. Luigi dropped his coffee onto the floor.

"N-no...he's dead."

"He's not. And she was stupid enough to give it to him! What, did you not read the contract, Mara?"

"Uh..."

"This doesn't make sense...why would you do such a thing?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "It seemed like a good idea...our kingdom was in peril and I couldn't do anything. I had no choice..."

"Mara, this is almost worse than the owls!" Luigi paced around the room. "And now...," he began to tear up. "Now you're dying...and it's my fault. I should have sent you to that damn military school when I had the chance!"

"I'm not dying!" she choked out.

"Mara," he knelt beside her. "The doctor says we should take you home and let nature take its course..."

She looked down and didn't speak.

"There...has to be something we can do. We have to try...for little Zack Jr," Zack poked her stomach lightly. "I'm not going to let you die..."

* * *

"Please...eat something," Zack picked up the bowl of soup she had left on her bedside. "Mara..."

"Hm?" her eyes were hardly open. "I can't..."

"Ugh."

"Hey, how's my favorite daughter?" Luigi came into the room.

"Our kingdom...we can't save it, can we?"

"What?"

"He's going to take the castle, Dad," she put her hands on his shoulders. "I don't want our people to die."

"I can't do anything. The kingdom isn't ours," Luigi sighed.

"Please...," she struggled to stay awake.

"Mara, get some sleep," he insisted. "I'll do my best, hon."

"Thank you," she closed her eyes, and Luigi ruffled her hair before leaving. Zack kissed her on the cheek and did the same.

Never had she been so disappointed in herself.


	6. Chapter 6

She stared intently out of her bedroom window. It was a gruesome sight. Just like the one she'd seen when she was little.

The worst part is that it was entirely her fault this time.

She had to fix it. It was her mess. She had jeopardized the kingdom, but the fate of her people had not been sealed.

She tried to stand, but immediately fell down. She tried again, but to no avail. Finally, on her third try, she could stand, but walking was another thing.

Carefully, she took one step, followed by another. She shambled over to her closet and put on a gray hoodie, trying to conceal herself as much as she could. She grabbed a backpack upon putting her shoes on, opened her window, and slowly climbed out knowing she had no plan or idea what she was doing. All she knew was that she was either going to kill him and restore her kingdom, or be killed. She couldn't screw anything up more than she already had, so she didn't care much about what happened next.

"Okay," Mara sighed, rolling up her sleeves and nearly falling a few times. She regained her balance and continued to walk. One by one, she'd pick her feet up, nearly tripping over them each time. Her uneasiness grew as she ventured further into the kingdom. Usually this walk was nothing, but she was sick and knew she could die at any given moment.

She felt as if she was suffocating in the smoke around her. Buildings were on fire, people were dying, and she just wanted it to end. Mara had grown fond of her people, even though she didn't absolutely love being a princess.

Everything began to cloud into a dark fog, and she realized that she was losing consciousness again. But she wasn't ready to die yet. If she was going to die, it wouldn't be before attempting to fix what she started.

Mara took a sip of the apple juice box she had in her backpack. She didn't regain much strength, but it was enough to keep going.

She stopped to see the castle in the distance, and it was a surprise she hadn't been killed or worse thus far. With a happy sigh, she began walking again, but quickly tripped over her own feet. Against her will, her eyes closed.

_It was a place she had seen before. Many times._

_ "Welcome back, Madame."_

_ She stood up to see the same toad that always greeted her. Toadsworth. He had a mustache and was quite elderly._

_ At her tea table sat Peach, and Mara sat down beside her and sighed._

_ "Is something troubling you, dear?"_

_ "I really messed up, Mom," she looked down with tears in her eyes. "And I need to fix it."_

_ "I'm afraid you can't," Peach put her arm on Mara's shoulder. _

_ "What do you mean? Sure I can! I know I can!"_

_ "No, Mara, you shouldn't go back. Your time in that world...has ended."_

_ "You mean I'm...," she gasped. "No! You're lying! I'm not dead!"_

_ "It's okay. You can spend eternity here. It's a lovely world."_

_ "But my people...will they be okay?"_

_ "You couldn't save them."_

_ "But I will...just...give me one more chance, please! I'll fix it! I'll fix everything!"_

_ "I'll see what I can do," Peach said nervously. "If I could bring you back and decelerate the process...do you think you can repair the damage? Can you defeat Bowser if you are at a normal state?"_

_ "I can try," she nodded. _

_ "Don't try. Do."_

_ Peach put her hands together, and Mara could slowly feel herself waking up._

"Miss...wake up!"

She awoke to a small toad with blue spots on his head sitting over her. She immediately stood up and realized that she didn't feel as bad as before. Still weak and sickly, but she definitely was better.

"Oh, thank goodness," he caught his breath and wiped his mouth, getting to his feet. "I've been trying to preform CPR on you for an hour."

"Well...thank you," she nodded, bowing to him. "What's your name?"

"I'm Tobias. But my friends call me Tobi. I turned ten years old last week. Wh-what's your name?"

"I'm the princess...don't you recognize me?" she put the hood down and he gasped.

"Well, I've never seen a princess in person," he said as she put the hood back on. "Why are you out here?"

"Why are_ you_ out here? Where are your parents?"

"Bowser's minions got 'em. B-but I got away and...now I'm here. I heard you were sick, Princess. What happened? Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I'm going to defeat Bowser," Mara said proudly. "And please, call me Mara."

"W-what? He's so strong! You can't defeat him! How do you plan on defeating him?"

"I haven't gotten to that," she sighed. "I don't have any magic anymore. Just a splitting headache."

"If your magic's gone, you should be real sick," he stated. "Right? Why aren't you paralyzed...o-or all sick in bed?"

"It's...a miracle," Mara looked up into the sky, but brought her attention back to her conversation. "I still feel awfully crappy. But better."

"You know...I can't let you fight Bowser. E-even if you are the princess, okay?"

"I have to. It's the only way I can save the Mushroom Kingdom. And I want my dad to be proud of me. Not just in a drunken apologetic way like usual."

"I'll help then...," he looked down and handed her a necklace. "B-but you're gonna need this. My mom said it was her good luck charm. It helped her finish college, marry my dad, and raise the most money at my school's bake sale. So...it's good for something, right?"

"Thank you, Kid. Where will you go, though?"

"Nowhere important," he said simply, walking away.

"Well...okay," she replied, looking down at the thing he gave her, placing it into her pocket. She felt her strength draining again, but she kept going until she reached the castle. The second she walked in, she was inclosed in a cage and suspended into the air.

"Still alive?" Bowser smiled. "Guys, applaud her."

Every minion in the room gave a sarcastic slow clap until he signaled them to stop.

"Hey, no fair!"

"Life isn't fair, Kiddo," he chuckled in reply. "Now...what should I do with you? Perhaps just let you slowly die here?"

She took a fire flower from her bag and obtained its power.

"I came prepared."

"Aw, that's adorable. But you know...you wouldn't kill me if you could."

"Why not? Of course I would! I'd kill you a million times! I hate you!"

"Well, why let good powers go to waste? Do you think that when I die, your powers just return to you? No. They need to be in a sentient being. And if I'm dead, so is your magic."

"I...I don't need my magic. I just need you dead."

"You can't do anything to me. I branded you. You're Koopa property."

She looked down at the marking on her leg. KP.

She threw a few fireballs at him, and he took very little damage.

"Aren't you just adorable. Using the last of your strength to try to finish me off. Fine, have at you," he said, pressing a button and making the cage descend. He pressed another button and it opened. "I can't wait to dispose of you. I've waited so long for this."

"Mara, what the hell are you doing?"

She looked over, and Luigi and Zack had entered the castle.

"I'm fixing my mess!" she almost fell upon speaking.

"You're going to get killed!" Zack said. "Come back home...it's over. He's won."

"Smart boy," Bowser chuckled. "I hope you're smart enough to move out of the way. Come on, I want to finish what I've started and kill this little bug once and for all."

"Then...," Mara faced Bowser and closed her eyes. "Give me all you've got. Because I didn't come here to go home a loser."

He inhaled loudly and released a puff of fire. Zack pushed her out of the way, and as the cliché would normally go, it struck him instead. She screamed and went to help him up.

"Mara...we...let's go home...I don't want you to get hurt. For the baby..."

"Zack," she knelt down. "I'm not going to have a baby."

"Wha-"

"It's not important right now. Go home. Both of you. You can move on without me. I love you," she kissed Zack on the cheek.

"How touching," Bowser said flatly. "That should have killed him, though. Hm, maybe I've lost my touch."

"Bowser, you've taken everything from me. My parents, my home, my best friend...and now you're going to pay for it."

She closed her eyes hard and focused, creating a huge fireball and hurling it towards him. He fell over, obviously in pain. He groaned and stood up. He stepped towards Mara, but Luigi stepped in front of her.

"You're not hurting a hair on her head."

"It's a little too late for that," Bowser effortlessly picked Luigi up and threw him against a nearby wall. Once Luigi was stunned, Bowser lifted Mara up by her arm. He threw her onto the ground so hard, some of the tile shattered. He inhaled deeply. "Just lay down and die already!"

He exhaled with a brute amount of strength.

"Mara!" Luigi and Zack both ran to her side. Her eyes were closed, and it seemed it would be like that forever.

"Please, wake up!" Zack cried, attempting to shake her awake.

* * *

When she opened her eyes, Bowser was screaming...in pain. Luigi was holding her and Zack was beside her. She blinked a few times, and Tobi's face met hers.

"H-hey! Mara! We did it!"

"Hm?"

"I got as many townspeople to help as I could!" he cheered. Mara looked over and Bowser was in his lava pit, desperately trying to flee, but countless spears impaled him, and he had many a wound from whatever miscellaneous items the people had brought. She smiled and stood over the pit with the rest of her strength, flipping him off. She hadn't finished him, but it was just as satisfying.

Finally, it was over.

Before she knew it, she felt her legs giving out again. Luigi grabbed her before she could fall, but she passed out nonetheless.

"Mara!"

Slowly, her eyes closed, and she held his hand, taking a few labored breaths before giving in.

_"Welcome back, Madame!"_

_**THE END**_

**Did anyone remember Tobi...or...?**

** (He also aged three years)**

** I'm not going to lie...my endings no longer satisfy me.**

** But I hope they satisfy you. Because I love you. You're all awesome people, and regardless of whether or not you review...whether or not you read this sentence because you're just skimming through...I love you. :)**


End file.
